Wednesday, February 10, 2010

I might be wrong,but the Celtics could be done

I was talking basketball with a few friends recently and the conversation turned to the NBA playoffs and possible matchups.More specifically about the Eastern Conference.One of my friends boldly predicted a Cleveland vs. Atlanta Eastern Conference final.We both came to a conclusion that Orlando is a good team,but doesn't really know what they are.They seem kind of lucky last year.They caught Cleveland looking ahead and their perimeter shooters caught fire.Just like the hot goalie in hockey.We said that if Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson can't score for the Hawks,Cleveland would run through them.As good as Joe Johnson is it seems like he shrinks up when guarded by Lebron James.After Johnson and Crawford,the Hawks have no bonafide scorers.They have some good players,but not enough to beat the Cavs.Then the talk turned to the Boston Celtics.
   The Celtics are a good team,but they might be fool's gold.They'll make the second round by default since the East is so weak.But they might not have enough to beat the young gun squads like Orlando,Atlanta,and Cleveland.The Celtics need to get younger,which is why the Ray Allen rumors have been out there for the past few weeks.The team's core,the big three,aren't getting any younger and as much as it might pain Boston fans to think about it,its getting dangerously close to thinking about blowing this team up.Don't be alarmed,I'm not saying do it now.If there are some sweetheart deals in trade possibilities that can keep them among the elite, then make those moves.If things remain status quo,others will start to pass them by.I've seen this before with the Miami Heat back in 2001,when they held on and were swept out of the playoffs in the first round.It happened with the old Pistons and Celtics teams when they held on to aging stars.Piston fans today think they should've held on to Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace.But the fact is that they would've gotten their 50 wins and drummed right out of the playoffs.The Celtics need to heed this warning.Kevin Garnett is playing on one leg,Ray Allen is prone to shooting slumps,Paul Pierce is Paul Pierce,which is the only thing that seems to be holding them together.Rajon Rondo is good,but he might end up pouting himself out of town this offseason.I think they might have a last stand in them,but Danny Ainge might want to think about retooling this offseason if they can't make a deep playoff run.